About Us

Honorary President: Professor Peter Simkins MBE, BA (London), FRHistS

Chairman: Peter Gill

The Cheltenham and Gloucester Branch of The Western Front Association was founded by Peter Gill and its inaugural meeting was held on 3 October 2006.

We hold meetings on the second Tuesday of every month, currently these are at The Ed Shed in Gloucester (part of the FolkMueum). In the past we have hosted a wide variety of eminent speakers from all over the country including the late Professor Richard Holmes CBE, Professor Peter Simkins MBE, Martin Middlebrook, Peter Hart, Andy Robertshaw and Dr David Kenyon.

Along with our speakers we hold a book sale at all our meetings.This is a wonderful opportunity for attendees to enhance their own libraries with a bargain or two and to help branch funds with a small donation.

We will also occasionally hold meetings at other 'guest' venues - in the past this has included the King’s School, Gloucester and the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum.

For our current programme of talks and directions to our venue, please visit our Meetings Page

In addition to our talks, we arrange other events and visits. In August 2007 we hosted the première of the play 'Talbot House - A home from home'.

We regularly organise branch visits to places of Great War interest such as the Imperial War Museum, London and the Fovant Badges in Wiltshire and also organise occasional branch social events.

We first ran a branch trip to the WeternFront in October 2008, when a group visited Ypres and the surrounding area. We followed in the footsteps of ex-King's School pupil and poet Will Harvey, his brother Eric (MC and Bar) and the Gloucestershire Regiment on the Salient. We were honoured to take part in the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate where three of our members laid a wreath on behalf of the branch.

Since then we have run many trips to the Western Front which you can read about on our Branch Trips Page.

Most years we are also proud to send representatives to the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday and try to actively play a part in local services, laying wreaths where possible.

The Cheltenham & Gloucester Branch set up a Gloucestershire War Graves Project. This is a long-term project to seek out, and where possible, have a volunteer ‘adopter’ for all the Great War-related war graves in Gloucestershire.

View the Gloucestershire War Graves Project page

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